Events
Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls:
Blues, Skiffle, Calypso and Rockabilly with a creepy vaudeville twist… It’s music that makes people wanna shake their bones!
This trio are known for their unique live show, transporting the audience to a bygone era when witches and black magic were rife. Their songs tell stories of deals with the devil, demons in love, witchdoctors, zombies, ghosts, ghouls, journeys to the deepest jungles and other exotic adventures which are told using sweet melodies and syncopated sounds.
The music takes influence from early vaudeville blues acts such as Victoria Spivey via Cab Calloway, Wilmoth Houdini and Wanda Jackson, but adding a creepy and theatrical twist that echoes Dr John and Screamin Jay Hawkins.
Voodoo has found it’s way onto British shores and Jo Carley is the wild and dark demonic music-hall mistress sent to predict hell in a way to entertain and amaze you, telling tales of terror in old-timey fashion. Backed by her song-writing partner and husband the Zombie-like Tim Carley, who churns out blues-tinged rhythms on an old archtop guitar, kick drum and rattlin’ shoe, with fellow fiend James Le Huray providing the final ingredients of the spell, in the shape of double bass and banjo.
2023 saw them playing the main stage at Upton Blues Festival, Ealing Blues Festival and they were also invited to participate in the UK Blues Challenge by the UK Blues Federation. They joined the Reverend Horton Heat and Demented are Go at the Psychobilly Freakout Festival in London. 2024 saw the band playing the Azkenna Festival in Spain (with the likes of Queens of The Stoneage, L7 and Sheryl Crow) and Rolmos Roots Rock Festival in Belgium with some of Europe’s biggest Rockabilly acts. They supported Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band on their recent UK tour and joined Hillbilly Moon Explosion at their London show. Spring 2025 sees them on tour in the UK, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands before joining The Meteors at the Pyschostock Festival (UK).
“I can’t take my eyes off these guys… A tremendous trio of musicians, go see them and expect the outside-of-the-box experience… there is nothing else like this band on the planet” Stephen Harrison / Blues matters magazine 2024
“With great lyrics and the combination of haunting ragtime blues they create a stupendously enjoyable jaunt into the darker recesses of voodoo, … It’s superb fun and a real pleasure to just indulge in its lyrics and music…” – Lee Powell / Vive Le Rock 2021
“There are dark warnings, powerful accusations, gritty observations and singular attitude… this is a musical heist that robs you of ordinary and replaces it with exceptional” – Folkwords (UK)
…a macabre fairytale, …Naughty creepy and full of sarcasm, “So let’s shake those bones together”!” Luminous Dash (Belgium)
